1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to amusement devices that make humorous statements when activated. More particularly, the present invention relates to the configuration of such amusement devices and the mechanisms used to activate such amusement devices.
2. Prior Art Statement
The prior art is replete with different types of amusement devices that contain voice synthesizer circuitry that is used to make humorous statements when activated. Such prior art devices have been built into greeting cards, toy dolls, pillows and near countless other varieties of novelty items.
However, with most such prior art amusement devices, the amusement device must be manually activated by a person manipulating the amusement device. For example, if voice synthesizer circuitry is added to a doll, the circuitry is typically activated when the doll is squeezed in a certain area or otherwise manually manipulated. If voice synthesizer circuitry is added to a greeting card, the circuitry is activated when the greeting card is opened.
Since most prior art amusement devices must be manually activated, the broadcasting of a message by the voice synthesizer circuitry is often anticipated. For example, when a child wants a doll to speak, that child purposely squeezes the doll and expects to hear the doll speak. However, as is well known in comedy, timing is everything. It is often much more humorous to have a novelty item begin to broadcast a message when a person is not expecting it rather than when a person is expecting the broadcast.
In order for a novelty device to broadcast a message without physical manipulation, that novelty device must contain some type of passively activated controller. Most often, the passively activated controllers used in toys and other amusement devices are timers, motion detectors and sound detectors. Timers activate the device at a preselected time. Motion sensors activate the device when movement near the device is detected. Sound detectors activate the device when sound is detected around the device.
Timers are not often used in novelty items that are intended to be humorous. This is because the proper timing of when a novelty device should activate is too hard to predict. Furthermore, the novelty device could activate when no one is around, thereby quickly draining batteries. Adversely, novelty devices with motion sensors and sound detectors are commonly used. However, they too have limitations. There is a fine line between a novelty device that is funny and a novelty device that is annoying. Novelty devices with motion detectors can detect whether or not a person is approaching, however, the novelty device cannot tell in what activity that person is engaged. Furthermore, such novelty devices with motion detectors cannot tell the difference between an approaching person or the family pet. As such, by activating at the wrong times, novelty devices with motion detectors can quickly become annoying. Similarly, novelty devices with sound detectors cannot tell the difference between a person's voice and a voice on the television. Therefore, such novelty devices also commonly activate at the wrong times and become annoying.
The present invention is a novelty device that passively detects when a person in a bathroom is having a bowel movement and provides humorous statements appropriate for the occasion. Since the location and activity of the person can be accurately ascertained when the novelty device is activated, the ability of the novelty device to be perceived as humorous is greatly increased. This new novelty device and its associated method of use are set forth in the specification and claims presented below.